Pakistan denies reports Saudis funded nuclear program

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Source: Dawn

Pakistan’s Foreign Office on Thursday strongly denied reports that Saudi Arabia funded the country’s nuclear weapons program calling the news item as “baseless, fake and provocative.”

Citing different sources, BBC Newsnight had reported that Saudi Arabia can obtain atomic bombs from Pakistan 'at will.'

Speaking to BBC Urdu, Foreign Office Spokesman Aizaz Chaudhry said that Pakistan is a responsible nuclear power.

The country has a robust control system for its nuclear weapons and also had taken extensive protection measures for ensuring their security, the spokesman said.

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Read more: http://dawn.com/news/1054796/pakistan-denies-reports-saudis-funded-nuclear-program

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1. BBC: Saudi nuclear weapons 'on order' from Pakistan

The BBC report Pakistan is responding to:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-24823846

6 November 2013 Last updated at 16:57 ET
Mark Urban, Diplomatic and defence editor, Newsnight

Saudi nuclear weapons 'on order' from Pakistan

Saudi Arabia has invested in Pakistani nuclear weapons projects, and believes it could obtain atomic bombs at will, a variety of sources have told BBC Newsnight.

While the kingdom's quest has often been set in the context of countering Iran's atomic programme, it is now possible that the Saudis might be able to deploy such devices more quickly than the Islamic republic.

Earlier this year, a senior Nato decision maker told me that he had seen intelligence reporting that nuclear weapons made in Pakistan on behalf of Saudi Arabia are now sitting ready for delivery.

Last month Amos Yadlin, a former head of Israeli military intelligence, told a conference in Sweden that if Iran got the bomb, "the Saudis will not wait one month. They already paid for the bomb, they will go to Pakistan and bring what they need to bring."

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2. BBC: What does the Saudi government's nuclear statement mean?

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-24855902

7 November 2013 Last updated at 11:45 ET
Mark Urban, Diplomatic and defence editor, Newsnight

What does the Saudi government's nuclear statement mean?

Saudi Arabia's response to our story on Wednesday, in which we stated the kingdom believed it could obtain nuclear weapons at will from Pakistan, is in itself a fascinating signal about that country's intentions at what it regards as a time of great danger.

The Saudi embassy in London issued the rare public response to us on Wednesday afternoon after we had given them details of our report and the evidence it contained.

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The refusal of Saudi Arabia to deny our story can be seen as a continuation of signalling that started in 2009.

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What many wonder, particularly in the light of Pakistan's labelling of our piece as "speculative, mischievous and baseless" - although interestingly even it did not use the word "untrue" - is whether the Saudis are simply bluffing, trying to galvanise a tougher American line on the Iranian nuclear question?

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3. How do we know they haven't done that already?

in which we stated the kingdom believed it could obtain nuclear weapons at will from Pakistan,

Having nukes and not telling anyone about them is hardly unprecedented in the Middle East.